…and now I can’t get Y2K or YMCA out of my mind. Bleh.
Anyway, Gamasutra has a pair of articles up that piqued my interest:
Puzzle Pirates Revenue Specifics
and
Dungeons and Dragons Online goes Free to Play
I’m sure that proponents and detractors can make up their own arguments at this point, but I’ll chime in and note that Puzzle Pirates is one of only three MMOs that I’ve spent money on (the others being Wizard 101 and Guild Wars), and that this move for DDO might just mean I go check it out. If they have a reasonable scheme on the back end to capture some revenue, they might just be the fourth.
(And if SWTOR and Jumpgate Evolution have non-sub options, they might be fifth and sixth…)
Updated: Raph Koster has a blurb up on another Gamasutra article here:
Good stuff. Raph actually is neck deep in this sort of thing, what with Metaplace and all. It’s a good read.
Update 2, more data from a War Cry interview:
Update 3, more from the devs on why they are changing things up. Notable among reasons cited are the changing demographics, and the need for shorter session gaming, and the restrictive binary system of subscriptions (in or out). Someone gets it, and this is heartening to hear from the devs, since it’s part of what I’ve argued for a while now:
As I posted on Kill Ten Rats about the DDO business model change, I’m not overly excited despite being an advocate of the microtransaction model. DDO is pretty obviously crippling the game then offering it for free. They even admit that the free content will get more sparse at higher levels in the mini-FAQ. Basically, the “free” version is a glorified trial period where you can spend cash to get bits and pieces instead of paying a subscription.
I’m worried that this is going to leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths about the microtransaction business model. The game should be fun without microtransactions, buying stuff should be the cherry on the top of the experience. Along with Free Realms letting people buy the best equipment in the game, I worry people may not really get why the free-to-play model is great for players (and small developers). Puzzle Pirates definitely does it right, and more people should learn from them.
My thoughts,
Indeed, they may well bollox things up. I’m cautiously optimistic… but you’re right, it may not help in the long run. I’m hoping the free content is fun enough to play.
As it happens, Wizard 101 has an extended free to play area, and then you can buy in to unlock new zones to play in. It’s worked fairly well for them. DDO doesn’t seem to be doing the same thing, though, so we’ll see.
I’m actually not all that fussed about them gimping the game for the free play. I expect that in any game that doesn’t go with the Guild Wars model. You could even argue that Puzzle Pirates is gimped unless you pay (or get some doubloons on the exchange, with someone else paying for them), and it works just fine. There’s plenty to do, but if you want more, you have to pony up one way or another.
I think the keys are up front honesty, and reasonable rates. Time will tell what the DDO system will use… but yes, your concern is well noted, and shared.
(And yes, I will keep using Puzzle Pirates and Guild Wars as my ideal models, at least until someone does better.)
I beta tested and bought DDO. It wasn’t a bad game – but didn’t have legs for me. It is a perfect example of a game that never should have had a sub fee – or at bare minimum at drastically reduced rates. ($5 a month).
The strategy is sound. I’ll play it again now. Maybe, I’ll enjoy it better, make some friends and want to see more of the game -which I’ll gladly pay for if DDO earns the opportunity with how they have improved the game.
Worst case scenario – I play for a bit and find it’s not worth the cash – but other people will have experienced a vibrant community full of people and actually pay.
It really gives DDO a longer term opportunity to win longer term customers (much better than a silly 10 day trial which shows nothing)
Tesh wrote:
You could even argue that Puzzle Pirates is gimped unless you pay (or get some doubloons on the exchange, with someone else paying for them), and it works just fine.
That parenthetical in the middle is what makes the difference, though. In Puzzle Pirates, you can play quite a lot of the game without paying a dime. You can even freely engage in the main form of gameplay: going jobbing on a ship. Some of the other games aren’t available to you (not every day, at least), but you can do just about everything without a single doubloon.
The dual currency system is what makes Puzzle Pirates shine, though. You can go earn up Po8 and then sell it for doubloons. This effectively allows you to earn the microcurrency to get nicer items. Yeah, someone still has to buy the doubloons to trade, but that’s fine; it’s still a business and Three Rings gotta get paid. But, as long as the price is right, people can experience all of the game without paying anything if they don’t want. It just may be more convenient for people to pay instead of playing the game for long hours.
I think that’s the interesting bit here: there’s an option! Puzzle Pirates isn’t a crippled game waiting for you to put money in to make it work. I wish more people understood that bit.
Ooooh, Shiny !
Those are very interesting articles. I wish people were more upfront with how much they gain, even IN a given company. Salaries are a big taboo.
I may be jumping far, here, but, if you look at Puzzle Pirate numbers, only 10% of their players pay for their game.
10%.
Then, I recall World of Goo, who said that 90% of the IP sending their scores are pirated. Which means 10% are regular players who paid for their game.
10% too.
How odd…
Brian, I’ve long argued that the currency exchange is what makes PP tick. It’s the missing ingredient in Wizard101 and Taikodom.
That doesn’t really change what I’m getting at there, though. *Someone* is paying money into the system, and if nobody pays, the system is gimped. Of course, that’s just looking at things from a strict systemic standpoint, noting that the gameplay of PP *can be* every bit as gimped as any other microtransaction game. It uses the same temptations as any other MT game; expanded gameplay options for cash. Yes, anyone can job for a while, even if it’s only with the Navy, but those juicy gameplay bits, like sailing your own ship, are tucked behind doubloon gates, *by design*.
Yes, it’s definitely possible for a single player to play forever without spending a dime, but they have to rely on other players and the currency exchange if they want to play beyond the basics (beside the oh-so-tempting free days, as you note, which are brilliant). I love the exchange, but without it, it’s easy to accuse PP of being intentionally gimped to get money. People still play on the sub servers in PP, because they don’t want to deal with those restrictions.
But y’know, I don’t mind, because I can see exactly how it’s gimped, and I can play *parts* of the game forever for free and have fun. Similarly, I’m anticipating not minding that DDO will have limits, since I can play parts for free forever. Ditto for Gatheryn, and Free Realms, for that matter. They don’t have the dual currency exchange to make things *really* good, but the limits are reasonable.
That said, I wholly agree with your assertion that the core game needs to be fun, and the parts locked behind money gates need to be “extra” rather than “necessary”.
So yes, it’s a good thing that PP has the exchange, and yes, in a lot of ways, the game pivots on it. It’s also why I keep arguing that W101 (or pretty much any dual currency game) needs one, and why I’m happy that Runes of Magic seems to be tinkering with one. I totally agree with you that the exchange is brilliant and key.
I’m just saying that PP is limited by design, as DDO will be, and arguing that one is crippled without cash where the other isn’t just isn’t accurate. If DDO doesn’t have a dual currency with an exchange, it’s broken on a different sort of metalevel, but the core game design of “you can’t do this until you spend money, but you can play over here forever for free” is very similar, and is ultimately what pulls in money.
DDO will be different also because of the DIKU level grind, and the possibility of “outleveling” the free content, and there are still specifics we don’t know about it, so there will be differences. Also, as you note, FR has made some mistakes in selling gear (which isn’t nearly as significant in PP). Still, that the devs would intentionally “break” their game and charge for (some of) the fun bits is part of the microtransaction mold. It’s a part that I’m perfectly fine with, since the granulation on those charges is typically finer, and easier to control than an all-you-can-eat sub. I would definitely prefer a dual currency exchange to make time and money more fungible, but that’s a layer on top of the acceptable underlying philosophy of the game design; that of a granulated menu of options I can pay for bit by bit or in bulk.
Options are Very Good.
Modran, aye, hard numbers are interesting datapoints. Salaries are another that I wish would be more transparent.
That 10% parallel is interesting. In PP, though, the 90% are still contributing to the culture, and are buying into the currency exchange to make the 10% happy. It’s a cooperative system, by design, rather than a binary split between “paying customers and leeches”.
Now I’m curious as to how many WoW players there are out there on private servers, or how many have indulged in gold selling or leveling services…
I agree that options are good. DDO will attract new players with their F2P model and hopefully revitalise the game. Plus there’s still the VIP subscription ($15 a month) which will give you everything (I think).
I guess they’re hoping that tons of people will try it and they will get VIP players out of it or least some cash for RMT.